Hot-air engine



1930. J. KOENIG HCT AIR ENGINE May 27,

Filed May 13, 1926 2 Sheets-Sheet l a 4 w H q ..UY v o WQ U 2 E 0 w 0 if. M v 8 zip-nu l l= r fl, 9 7

May 21,1930. 0m 1,760,415

HOT AIR ENGINE Filed ma '15, 1926 2 sheds-shes 2 G /bsgzy/zkbeng Patented May 27, 1930 y Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOSEPH KOENIG, or MAnI'r'owoc, Wisconsin; REMUS Komvre AND RUBY K. ELLI ADMINISTRATOR-.24 or SAID JOSEPH KOENIG, nncnnsnn y HOT-AIR Application filed Ma 13,

This invention relates to hot air engines.

In hot air engines as heretofore constructed, it has been the usual practice to provide extensive heating surfaces with a consequent increase in bulkiness of the engine in order to secure the quick heating of the air. This was necessary, as it must be appreciated, that the heating of the air must occur relatively quickly in order to secure the highest efficiency for the engine and in order to insure a proper interchange of heat.

This invention is designed to overcome the i defects noted above, and objects of this invention are to provide a novel form of hot air engine which is relatively compact, in which a very intimate mixing of the heated products of combustion and the air in the treating cylinders is secured so that these gases may commingle and produce a very good transfer of heat through the entire volume of air in the treating cylinders, and also to provide means whereby this interchange may be very quickly elfected without requiring an excessively large treating cylinder. v a a i h Further objects are to provide a novel form of hot air engine in which the minimum amount of fuel is required for heating the air and in which a very compact and service ablearrangement of parts is secured.

An embodiment of the invention is shown 1 in the accompanying drawings, in which:

the cam for operating the valves. i

Figural is an elevation partlyin section of the hotfiair engine. 1 a Figure 2 is a detail view partly broken away showingone of the quick acting cams...

Figure 3 isfa further detail view showing Referring to the drawings, it will be seen that the hot air engine comprises a main working cylinder 1 within which a piston :2 is mounted. The piston is operatively con- ,nected to a crank 30f the crank shaft or drive shaft 4, such shaft being carriedin any suitable bearings. This drive shaft further car- 'ries a pairof small cranks 5 and 6 which operate the pistons 7 andS in the air pump cylinders 9 and 10 respectively] Further, it

is to be noted thataquick acting .cam 11 is carried by the crank shaft operates the ENGINE H 7 Serial No.'108,800.

cylinder 1 and further, are connected through valves 19 and 20 to the upper sides of the pump cylinders 9 and 10 for a purpose here- 1 inafter to appear.

The treating cylinders are of similar construction and one only need, therefore, be described in detail.

- Considerfor example, the cylinder 17 i It is provided with an internal sleeve 21 within which the piston or air shifter 22 slides. This shell or inner sleeve is carried in any suitable manner as by means of the upper flange 23 and the space above the piston 22 communicates with the space between the sleeve 21 and the outer casing by means of a plurality of apertures 24. It is to be noted that the piston 22 is providedwith an overhanging sleeve 25 and that both the sleeve 25 and the head of the piston are insulated by means of the heat insulating layer 26. Further, it will be noted that the sleeve 25 stops short of the bottom ofthe cylinder, and consequently, a passage 27 is formed between such lower end and the end of the cylinder so that the air may pass through this annular passage into the space below the piston 22.

Further, it is to be noted that the lower end of the cylinder is cooled; This may be secured in any suitable way as by means of the water jacket 28, suitable inlet andoutlet apertures being provided, as indicated, to permit continuous flow of a cooling agent.

The upper end of the airconditioning cylinders are provided with domes as for example, asshown in Figurel, the cylinder 17 r is provided with a dome 29 into whichthe delivery pipe 30 for the compressed air' passes. Further, it is to be noted that fuel under pressure, maybe supplied this inward- ;ly passing stream of air byineansofthe valve 31, such valvebeing controlled in a 'manner hereinafter described. The dome 29 prov ded with a spark plug 32 for igniting the inwardly flowing charge or combustible mixture.

It is to be noted that each of the air pumps is rovided with an inwardly opening inlet Va ve 33 and with an outwardly opening valve 34. Further, the upper portion of each of the air pump cylinders 9 and 10 is provided with a discharge valve indicated res ctivelyby the reference characters 35 an 36.'

Means are provided for simultaneously operating the valves for controlling the admission of fuel and the admission and discharge of the pressure gases tothe upper side of the pum cylinders. For example, the valves 19 and 35 may be provided with crank arms joined by a link 37, and similarly, the valves 20 and 36 may be operatively joined by the link 38. The valves 35 and 86 are also provided with slotted arms 39 and 40 which are operated by pins carried by a transverse :bar 41 ri idly mounted on the reciprocatory rod 42. urther, the valves 19 and 20 are provided with arms 43 and 4 1 respectively which are connected by means of links 45 and 46 with the arms 50 and 51 respectively of the fuel valves.

In the operation of the apparatus, it is intended that the air pumps compress air and deliver a fraction of the Volume of the air conditioning cylinders to the air conditioning cylinders. This fresh air delivered to these cylinders mixes with fuel and is ignited by thespark plug or in a suitable manner, and expands the gases contained in the air conditioning cylinders so that the most intimate mixing occurs with consequent eflicient transfer of the heat, due to the combustion, tov the entire mass of gases in the air conditioning cylinders.

It is to be noted further that the sleeves 21 of the air conditioning cylinders act as regenerators so that when the air is passed into the lower end of the air treating cylinders by flowing through the apertures 2 1 and downwardly between the shell 21 and the enter casing of the cylinders, such shell extracts a material amount of heat from the air prior to its arrival at the chilled end of the incoming charge with the air already in the cylinder." This expanding increases the pressure within the air conditioning'cylinder l'fand forces the working piston downwardl Further, it is to be noted that a part of tlie pressure gases-in the cylinderlS'is employedffor aiding in the operation of the :pump piston 8. This pressure gas-ispassed to the cylinder 10 by way of the valve 20. when, however, the piston in the air pump cylinder approximately completes its stroke downwardly, the exhaust valve 36 opens and discharges the pressure gases to the outside air. The other half cycle is identically like this except that the air conditioning cylinder 18 is substituted in the operation for the cylinder 17 and the pump cylinder 9 is substituted for the cylinder 10.

It will be seen further that the pumps 9 and 10 areso timed that they will force a charge of compressed air into the appropriate air treating cylinder at the time when the air treating cylinder is to deliver pressure gases to the working cylinder. Further, by having the fuel mix with the incoming fresh air, it is clear that the fuel will readily burn and will heat the air or other gases remaining in the air conditioning cylinders.

Consider for example, the rising of one of the air shifting pistons, for example, the piston 22. When this piston rises, as for instance, just prior to the rise of the working piston 2, the air and gases contained above the piston 22 are passed through the apertures 24 and flow downwardly between the sleeve 21 and the outer shell of the air conditioning cylinder 17. The sleeve 21 extracts heat from the passing hot gases or air prior to its arrival at the chilled end of the cylinder. lVhen the air arrives at the chilled end, it is further contracted, and thus, the pressure within the air conditioning cylinder is lowered and the air contracted so as to receive the air discharged by the upward motion of the working piston 2.

It is to be understood that the air pumps are so proportioned with relation to the air conditioning cylinders that they deliver a fraction only of the total volume of the air conditioning cylinders. For example, an efficient relation may be secured by designing the air pump cylinders to deliver approximately 15% of the volume of the air conditioning cylinders for each stroke of the pumps. In other words, the apparatus is es sentially a hot air engine and not an explosive internal combustible engine. The burning of the mixture in the air conditioning cylinders is for the purpose of securing the maximum interchange of heat for the gases within the air conditioning cylinders by actually mixing the heated products of combustion with the air or gas in the cylinders. V In this way, the maximum efliciency and compactness is secured together with quick heat iiiterchange.

The pump cylinders may be so designed as to put the apparatus under a higher pressure than atmospheric, as the practical design or chambers together.

Although the invention has been described a in considerable detail, such descriptionis inand as the scopeof such invention is to be determined as claimed.

I claim: a i s 1. Ahotair engine comprising a Working cylinder having a Working piston therein, a

crank shaft driven from said Working piston, a pair of air conditioning cylinders having one of their ends directly-connected to opposite ends of said Working cylinder and having cooled ends opposite the ends connected to the Working cylinder, each of said air condition ing cylinders having a sleeve therein extending from adjacent the cooled end of the cyl inder to adjacent the other end thereof, an

air shifting pistonslidably mounted in each of said sleeves, a Walking beam operatively connected to sa1d pistons and driven from said crank shaft, an air pump for forcing air into a to the air pump corresponding to such cylthe other end of each of said air conditioning cylinders, means for admitting fuel to said last mentioned end of each of sa1d air condition cylinders, means for igniting said fuel,

and means for discharging a portion of the gas 1n each of sa1d a1r conditioning cyhnders inder to aid'in the compression of air in said air pump. a

2. A hot air engine comprising a Working [cylinder having a-working piston therein, a

crank shaft driven from said Working piston,

. a pair of air conditioning cylinders having one of their ends directly connected to opposite ends of said Working cylinder and having cooled ends opposite the ends connected to theworking cylinder, each of said air conditioning cylindershaving a sleeve thereinextending from adjacent the cooled end of the cylinder to adjacent the other end thereof,

forcing air into the other end of each of said air condltionlng cylinders, means for admitsite ends of said Working cylinder, means connecting opposite ends of said air conditioning cylinders, and air shifting pistons slidably mounted in each of said cylinders, a Walking beam operatively connected to said pistons s and driven from said crank shaft, an air pump for forcing air into the other end of each of said air conditioning cylinders, means for admitting fuel to said last mentioned end of each of said air condition cylinders, means for igniting said fuel,and means for discharging a portion of the gas in each of said air conditioning cylinders to the air pump corresponding to such cylinder to aid in the compression of airin said air pump.

4;. A hot air engine comprising a Working cylinder having a Working piston therein, a crank shaft driven from said Working piston, a pair of air conditioning cylinders having one of their ends directly connected to opposite ends of said Working cylinder, means connecting opposite ends of said air conditioning cylinders, and air shifting pistons slidably mounted in each of said cylinders, means carried by said crank shaft for quickly moving the shifting pistons to opposite ends of the air conditioning cylinders at the completion of each stroke of the Working piston, an air pump for forcing air into the other end of each of said air conditioning cylinders, means for admitting fuel to said last mentioned end of each of said air conditioning cylinders, means for igniting said fuel, and means for discharging a portion of the gas in each of said air conditioning cylinders, means for igniting said fuel, and means for discharging a portion of the gas in each of said air conditioning cylinders to the air pump corresponding to such cylinder to aid in the compression of air in said air pump. y

In testimony that I claim the foregoingI have hereunto set my hand at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin. V i

JOSEPH KOENIG.

ting fuel to said last mentioned end of each I of said air conditoning cylinders, means for ignltlng sa1d fuel, andmeans for d1schargmg a portion of the gas 111 each of sa1d air conditioning cylinders to the air pump corresponding to such cylinder to aid in the com-,

pression of air in said air pump, said air pumps being positioned to supply air to the, airconditioning cylinders. under a higher pressure ,than atmospheric, whereby the entire system may operate under a pressure higher than atmospheric.

3; A hot air engine comprising a orking cylinder havinga Working pistontherein, a crank shaft driven from said Working piston, a pair of air conditioning cylinders having a one of their ends directly connected to oppo- 

